A staff member surrounded by a group of grinning boys in the day centre

Children and Parents Day Center

The Children and Parents Day Center is open every weekday afternoon for children aged 6 to 14 from disadvantaged families in Daneș. They get a hot meal, help with their homework, and a few hours somewhere calm.

In Romania, one in eight children from rural areas goes to bed hungry, and one in four drops out of school because of poverty. The Day Center works against that.

A boy in a red and yellow football shirt smiling at the camera in the day centre dining room

A child running past a derelict brick shed on bare ground at the edge of the village

A girl in pink running across a field with her arms spread wide, other children behind her

What an afternoon looks like

Children arrive after school and eat first. Then it’s homework, with tutors who work through reading, writing, and arithmetic at whatever pace the child needs. The rest of the afternoon is for building life skills: hygiene, working in a group, keeping time, and respecting others.

There is also room for play, friendship, and faith, with recreational and social activities and religious education. Annual camps, field trips, and home visits bring staff and families closer together.

Children and a staff member with folded hands, praying before the meal

A volunteer helping a girl and a boy read a picture book at the table

Two children reading a workbook together at a table while others work around them

Boys laughing over felt-tip pens and coloured paper at the craft table

Working with the whole family

A child’s situation at home shapes everything we can do in the afternoons, so we work with the parents too. During the school year and in vacation time we organize meetings where parents take part alongside their children.

Mothers gather regularly for our Mother Support meetings: a good breakfast, a moment to step out of the stress of home and community, and honest conversations about parenting, sometimes with a workshop. Above all we want to remind them that they are valuable to God.